Trapped
by Sparkling Moon Phoenix
Summary: Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.
1. Thoughts

_**Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.**_

_**Genre: Anime, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy.**_

_**Rating: M!**_

_**Status: Work In Progress.**_

_**Act: Prelude**_

_**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't claim ownership of the wonderful characters of Magic Knight Rayearth. That privilege belongs to Clamp. I'm just borrowing them for a fanfiction. Any OCs and plot devices are © Sparkling Moon Phoenix. The Magic Knights are sixteen in this little fiction of mine.**_

_**Summary: This fiction will be told in a series of short chapters, 100, 500 or 1000 words each. Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.**_

_**Magic Knight Rayearth**_

_**Trapped: Thoughts**_

~(:O:)~

Eagle lay quietly within the darkness, the radiance of the Cephiran moon the only source of light within the room. He still couldn't quite fathom how fortunate he had been. Least of all finding the one soul he loved above all others, enshrined within a fragile slip of a young woman. Yet one blessed with a will as formidable as his, brimming with compassion. He could not believe what had transpired to cause this. He sent a prayer to whatever great power that watched over him for the last instance of joy he felt before his life would expire. And for the person he shared such an experience with.

This whole revelation began when the particular section of Cephiro Castle he was incarcerated in teetered upon the edge of collapse. The trio of young Magic Knights had been sent to move him to a more stable part of the castle when disaster struck. Pulling the slender, yet lithe form of the slumbering Fire Knight against him, his thoughts centred upon how this had all started.


	2. Tremors

_**Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.**_

_**Genre: Anime, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy.**_

_**Rating: M!**_

_**Status: Work In Progress.**_

_**Act: Act 1.**_

_**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't claim ownership of the wonderful characters of Magic Knight Rayearth. That privilege belongs to Clamp. I'm just borrowing them for a fanfiction. Any OCs and plot devices are © Sparkling Moon Phoenix. The Magic Knights are sixteen in this little fiction of mine.**_

_**Summary: This fiction will be told in a series of short chapters, 100, 500 or 1000 words each. Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.**_

_**Magic Knight Rayearth**_

_**Act 1: Tremors**_

~(:O:)~

_Damnit, not again! _That thought flitted through his mind.

The sound of rumbling crystal and stone echoed within the room. A sigh of frustration rang out as the creaking within the walls ceased, at least for that particular moment. A young man of approximately twenty years in age, pale blond hair framing a handsome face, his lean, muscular frame garbed in a uniform of black rose from a large bed. It was the only piece of furniture, apart from a glowing crystal sphere serving as a lamp within the chamber. Rising, he walked until he approached a golden circle carved into the marble flagstones. As he raised one hand, attempting to pass over the mark inset within the floor, a shock forced him backwards.

A curse dropped from his lips as he impacted painfully on the ground. He lashed out, a fist striking against an invisible barrier. Ripples of light arced outwards from the shield, racing along its entirety. Frustration shining from within his amber eyes, he rubbed his sore knuckles; eyes fixed upon the doors so near, yet so far. The invisible wall impeded any chance of escape he harboured. After his last try, the magicians upon the orders of Master Mage Clef strengthened the enchantments. Lantis methodically searched his former friend for weapons, confiscating any he found.

Eagle cursed again. In his apparent haste to procure the Proof of the Pillar for Autozam he forgot to take a communicator. His second in command would be furious. Since then, he sat within the boundaries of his prison, the hours of confinement broken only by Cephiran Guards delivering meals. Not even the Fire Knight visited him. As one of the defenders of the crystalline castle and the people dwelling inside, her duties occupied most of her time.

_Strange that the young Knight should occupy my thoughts. _Eagle mused silently.

As of late, she had. The young Fire wielder intrigued him deeply. But he pushed her away from his mind, focussing instead on another matter. His duty lay in obtaining the infinite potentiality of the Pillar for his planet. The tremors causing the castle to teeter on its rocky foundations worried him greatly. Even from his location, he could feel the aftershocks travelling through the walls. He could see the concern etched on the faces of the guards or Lantis. The shaking of the castle increased, the rapidity of the quakes coming once every other day.

He knew what this signified. Without the talents of the Pillar holding Cephiro together, the land was disintegrating, falling into nothingness. Realizing just thinking about the Pillar wouldn't gain him anything he stood. As he walked back towards his bed, a familiar rendering of stone sounded.

But it was much closer this time; _**much **_closer. The ground shook underneath his booted feet. Losing his balance Eagle reached for the bed-frame, his flailing hands barely grasping the base of the bed, his breath escaping from him in a hissing rush.

_So this is how my life ends? Crushed to death by stone? Rather this way than death through my affliction. _Closing his eyes, the young Commander began to ready himself to pass on, when the doors slid open.

'Eagle!'

A feminine voice, one very familiar called his name.

Opening his eyes, he saw her, standing on the threshold.

_**Author's Note: here is the next chapter. To my fellow MKR fanfic writers, I issue a challenge. Write a fiction, with as many chapters as you like consisting of 100, 500 or 1000 words to tell a story. The fiction can be as long or as short as you want! Just shove your favourite pairing in there. And, oh yes, they have to be stuck in Cephiro Castle somewhere!**_


	3. Shattered Rock

_**Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.**_

_**Genre: Anime, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy.**_

_**Rating: M!**_

_**Status: Work In Progress.**_

_**Act: Act 2.**_

_**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't claim ownership of the wonderful characters of Magic Knight Rayearth. That privilege belongs to Clamp. I'm just borrowing them for a fanfiction. Any OCs and plot devices are © Sparkling Moon Phoenix. The Magic Knights are sixteen in this little fiction of mine.**_

_**Summary: This fiction will be told in a series of short chapters, 100, 500 or 1000 words each. Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.**_

_**Magic Knight Rayearth**_

_**Act 2: Shattered Rock**_

~(:O:)~

The young Commander regarded the diminutive figure of the Fire Knight standing on the threshold of the chamber he was imprisoned in. Behind her he could glimpse the other two Magic Knights, their swords drawn. He watched as she gripped the entryway for support. Small tremors shook the ground beneath her feet.

'Eagle, we have to move you. The disintegration of the castle has reached this level.' Relinquishing her hold on the door frame she began to cross the space between them, her passage unsteady as the ground continued to tremble under both of them. As Hikaru approached, Eagle found himself asking the question most prevalent within his mind at that particular instance.

'Why would you help me? I am, after all an enemy.'

The voice of the Water Knight rang out. Umi, was her name, Eagle recalled after a moment. 'We know that. Despite the fact you are, we won't leave you to die here. It isn't our way and never will be.'

Loud creaking sounded in the corridor outside. The quaking within the room increased in intensity. Hikaru stumbled as a rather violent shockwave hit. Using the bed-frame as a launch point Eagle struck out with his legs. He caught the young Knight as a crack opened up in the floor beneath her. Pulling the Fire Knight against his broad chest, Eagle saw a gaping maw through the ever broadening hole. The edges of the rupture had almost reached the area of the chamber where he sat, cradling the Fire Knight in his arms. Her long red hair danced wildly as a strong surge of wind tore through the gap in the floor.

'Eagle you have to move!' Umi shouted over the rising din of the howling wind.

Eagle rose to his feet, the slight frame of the Fire Knight held against his chest. Making his way over the wildly pitching floor, he nearly lost his footing several times. The noise of rendering stone grew louder, sounded rather close. Too close for his liking. Just as he reached the dubious safety of the passage stretching out beyond his prison, the floor vanished, the marble slabs falling into the dark expanse.

Hikaru's frantic screams, accompanied by the panicked shouts of the other Magic Knights melded together with the frantic staccato of the maelstrom. Despite the fact he considered the young Fire wielder to be an enemy, he didn't wish for the last sight she would ever glimpse to be the horror waiting for them below. He pressed her head firmly into the fabric of his black uniform, attempting to block the view, when a bright emerald sphere materialized around them halting their fall.

The young Commander recognized the spell for what it was; the magical defensive barrier used by the Wind Knight. Never did he imagine he would welcome assistance from one he considered an enemy. Thanks to the Wind Knight, he and Hikaru had been saved. As their magical conveyance lifted from the opening of the vortex below them, the young Commander realized how close death had been.


	4. Close Enough

_**Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.**_

_**Genre: Anime, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy.**_

_**Rating: M!**_

_**Status: Work In Progress.**_

_**Act: Act 3.**_

_**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't claim ownership of the wonderful characters of Magic Knight Rayearth. That privilege belongs to Clamp. I'm just borrowing them for a fanfiction. Any OCs and plot devices are © Sparkling Moon Phoenix. The Magic Knights are sixteen in this little fiction of mine.**_

_**Summary: This fiction will be told in a series of short chapters, 100, 500 or 1000 words each. Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.**_

_**Magic Knight Rayearth**_

_**Act 3: Close Enough**_

~(:O:)~

_These young Knights continue to surprise me._

That thought passed through the mind of the young Commander as confined within the magical sphere with Hikaru held against him, he could glimpse the jagged edges of the opening in the floor approach, then pass by. The wind bubble collapsed, depositing both Knight and Commander on the dust stained ground of the wrecked room. Feeling Hikaru push on his chest, he released her.

'Are both of you alright?' The soft voice of the Wind Knight sounded behind the two.

'I'm okay Fuu,' the Fire Knight replied, shaking dust from her clothes.

Eagle saw the Fire Knight walk towards her companions when she halted momentarily, gazing down at the rent in the ground and flinched.

When he glimpsed the jagged rocks and the dark maelstrom below, he understood the Knight's involuntary reaction. The gaping void had grown. As he watched impassively, fragments of the underbelly of beleaguered Cephiro fell, torn to shreds by the howling winds.

His amber eyes widened at the sight. _Close enough we came to dying._

The metallic snick of a blade interrupted his self imposed reverie, the point pressed into the hollow of his throat. Azure light gleamed along the deadly, slender length. He felt a chill emanating from the sword.

'We meant what we said Eagle.' The voice of the Water Knight brimmed with determination. 'Don't try anything. We have enough on our hands keeping the people from falling apart.'

The young Commander believed the seriousness of the Water Knight's words. He noticed the exhaustion all three of them tried to conceal, especially Hikaru.

_This is utter foolishness. My goal is to obtain the powers of the Pillar, not to think of an enemy. _He didn't doubt that all three of them could inflict serious harm on him with their spells. _For now I will cooperate. But later on will be time enough to escape._

What Lantis imparted to him had proven to be true. Without the immense willpower of the Pillar, Cephiro was literally falling apart. A twinge of guilt surfaced in his mind, but he quickly stifled it. He couldn't allow personal feelings or considerations distracting him from completing the mission entrusted to him. The three young Knights led him from the destroyed prison and into the corridor outside. As his young guard herded him through the series of interconnecting passageways, he could see the damage the quakes wrought upon the crystalline citadel.

Eagle had a slight intuition the Knights were leading him through the lesser used paths. They did encounter a few citizens, most of whom appeared to be magic users. He could glimpse the deep shine of suspicion, even hatred within their eyes as they regarded him, and then walked swiftly by. He couldn't blame them for their reactions to his presence. To them he was an invader, even a destroyer.

He realized in a way he was. He knew stealing the life force this unique world relied on to sustain itself didn't sit easily within him. Pushing such unwanted realizations aside he began to take note of his surroundings, impressing everything to memory. Once he reached the destination the Magic Knights were escorting him too, he would launch the plan he had devised before his former prison collapsed. Lantis' impromptu search of his body armour hadn't found everything the young Commander secreted upon his person.

It was amazing what you could hide in your shoes or belt. He only hope he could be close enough to obtaining his ultimate goal.

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Lady of the Shards, your fiction can be any rating and I am looking forward to reading it! Somariel, this a drabble type fiction, so the chapters will be short but many. I haven't seen fiction of this type in the MKR section, so I thought I would start one! In a week or two, I'll be updating Heart of Cephiro, Spirit of Cephiro frequently. Right now the muse that helps me with my writing is being rather sneaky!****eartH**


	5. Plotting

_**Author: Sparkling Moon Phoenix.**_

_**Genre: Anime, Romance, Friendship, Fantasy.**_

_**Rating: M!**_

_**Status: Work In Progress.**_

_**Act: Act 4.**_

_**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't claim ownership of the wonderful characters of Magic Knight Rayearth. That privilege belongs to Clamp. I'm just borrowing them for a fanfiction. Any OCs and plot devices are © Sparkling Moon Phoenix. The Magic Knights are sixteen in this little fiction of mine.**_

_**Summary: This fiction will be told in a series of short chapters, 100, 500 or 1000 words each. Eagle and Hikaru are trapped in an isolated part of Cephiro Castle after a strong aftershock as a result of the land falling away into the void. While awaiting rescue, will Eagle take this unexpected opportunity to show a certain Magic Knight the depth of his feelings for her? Eagle/Hikaru.**_

_**Magic Knight Rayearth**_

_**Act 4: Plotting**_

~(:O:)~

As the myriad hallways passed him swiftly by, the young Commander took note of the route the trio of Magic Knights led him through. All three walked with their swords drawn, the glow of magic shining from within the ovum gems fixed to the back of their hands. The circular crystals bled motes of red, cobalt and emerald.

_All three Knights are uneasy. Sorrow permeates this castle. _Eagle noted the exhaustion and worry etched on the faces of the young Knights. Dark circles were evident under the dull eyes of all three, especially under those of the Fire Knight.

Despite a conscious effort not to, he kept finding himself gazing upon the countenance of the fire wielder. Fatigue seemed to have settled more deeply upon her shoulders. He knew part of her state was due to him, could also be attributed to the other two invading countries. Plus the current predicament that faced this world, this he knew after from the events occurring only moments before.

_I must push aside such matters. I have come to this world for one reason only. To procure the limitless powers of the Pillar for my own dying home before it completely falls apart. _He would fulfil the dictates of his mission, nothing more.

The footfalls of the Magic Knights fell into silence. The small group halted in front of a pair of large ebony doors, embossed with ornate gold patterns. Nearby, radiance from the distant Cephiran moon slid over crystal doorknobs. Eagle assumed this must be the new location for him to face incarceration once more.

Umi turned, pressing one slender edge of her blade against his throat. 'Don't cause any trouble Eagle. Mages and Mage Knights occupy the other rooms. Escaping would be stupid.'

With her free hand the Water Knight pushed open the doors. Pearly light flowed from within the room beyond, staining the blue ovum of the Water Knight. Lowering her sword the water user stepped back.

'Get inside please.' The voice of the Water Knight rang low in tone, a barely suppressed edge of anger within her words.

The young Commander walked through the doors. As he passed over a silver pattern inlaid within the pale marble flooring, a shield erupted behind him moving steadily upwards until the edges touched another pattern upon the ceiling.

_Another barrier. This one must be more powerful than the previous one. _He stood within the centre of the chamber, noting the presence of a bed and other doors indicating adjoining rooms. _It seems I have been taken to a more stable part of the castle._

'Someone will bring food and drink for you later on.' Hikaru's voice sounded as the doors shut of their own volition.

'Eagle will try and attempt to escape. We all know what he came to Cephiro to obtain.' Fuu voiced her thoughts.

Hikaru sighed. 'He will do anything to achieve his mission. When I spoke with him aboard the NSX, he showed me how much he cares for his people. He won't stop until he claims the powers of the Pillar for Autozam.'

Umi dismissed her weapon. The elegant blade dissolved, the magic it was comprised of flowing back into her Ovum. 'If he does, I for one will stop him. I made a pledge to protect Cephiro and everyone who lives here until a way can be found to resolve the crisis we all face. We'd better go and see if the others are ok.'

~(:O:)~

Once the doors slid closed with a resounding bang, Eagle sat on the bed. Trying to ignore the first signs of an impending headache he removed a small white pouch from where it rested at the small of his back. Flipping it open, he removed a device, running fingers along the edges until he found and depressed a switch. Vibrant green lines flickered, rapidly forming into a sphere. The passages he had previously walked through were displayed as well as three glowing stationary dots. He knew who those points represented, the young Magic Knights. Two moved away, yet one remained. He knew who stood in the hallway outside.

Hikaru.

'Why do my thoughts keep returning to her? This distraction I could do without!'

Frustrated he threw the white casing against the barrier. Ripples of light arced along its length, and then the shielding pulsed. The casing flew back towards the young Commander. Eagle dove over the edge of the bed, sighing in relief as he heard the small box shatter against the back wall.

'I didn't expect their shields to do that.'

He returned his attention back to the levitating hologram. During his encounters with the Magic Knights before his capture he had garnered biological data on all three of them, as well as Lantis. He didn't possess the biological information of Master Mage Clef. He recalled Lantis imparting to him the mystical sword he possessed being a Key to the room where the coronet of the Pillar was kept. Using the portable scanner he began to review all of the data he collected.

The beginnings of a plot began to form within his mind.


End file.
